Liverpool are yet to offer talisman Mohamed Salah a new deal to extend his time at Anfield and the agent of one of Arne Slot's coaching staff has outlined the reasons why he believes that is the case.
Salah has gone on to become one of the greatest players in Liverpool's history since his move to Anfield from Roma in 2017 under Jurgen Klopp in a deal worth up to £43m.
Since then, the Egypt international has scored 223 goals in 367 games for the Merseyside club in a successful spell which continues to this day.
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In his time at Anfield, Salah has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
The winger already has 12 goals in 18 games so far this season and was on the scoresheet twice over the weekend as he inspired Liverpool to victory, when they came from behind to beat Southampton away 3-2.
But there is the prospect this campaign may well be Salah's last at Liverpool as his current contract expires in the summer of 2025.
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Speaking after the victory at St Mary's, Salah made it clear that he feels closer to the exit door than penning a fresh deal as things stand as there is no offer currently on the table.
He said: "We are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club. I'm probably more out than in.
"You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said, it is December and I haven't received anything yet about my future.
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"I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans' hands.
"I'm not going to retire soon so I'm just playing, focusing on the season and I'm trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I'm disappointed but we will see."
Now a theory has emerged as to why Liverpool are yet to make a fresh contract offer to the 32-year-old.
According to Rob Jansen, a football agent who represents one of Slot's coaching staff in the form of ex-Everton defender Johnny Heitinga, believes that Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes is behind the lack of movement.
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Jansen believes that this is due to a combination of factors including Hughes still being new at Liverpool, as well as suggesting the Anfield transfer chief lacks empathy in these situations - as he experienced when it came to negotiating for Heitinga to move to Anfield.
Speaking on the KieftJansenEgmondGijp podcast, via Soccernews.nl, Jansen said: "He's new to the club. And one thing Richard Hughes doesn't have is any sense of empathy. Zero. He's a robot.
"I know that because I negotiated with him, for Heitinga. There's zero feeling in him. That could be the reason. Especially with a player like Salah, who has emotion, a different culture and is sensitive to warmth."
Topics: Liverpool, Mohamed Salah, Arne Slot
John McDougall